From Printing House to Security Specialist

At customs posts, automatic cash dispensers or entrances to workplaces, there is a considerable chance that the plastic cards and badges in our bags originated from Trüb AG in the city of Aarau. Fernando Dal Zotto, CEO and delegate of the Board of Directors, talks about maximum security, Swissness and Aarau as a location.

Trüb AG is the leading supplier of physical and electronic identification solutions. Can you give us some specific examples?

The most high-profile example is certainly the Swiss identity card, which is manufactured here in our plant. But also Maestro or credit cards, which we all carry in our wallets, come from us.

How does one become an expert in identification solutions?

Trüb AG started out as a classic printing house in 1859. The changeover to security printing was made in 1892, when the company began to manufacture shares and other securities. In the 1970s, the changeover was made from paper to plastic security printing, and the cards were equipped with a chip module.

How is your company organised?

We have three divisions: government, banking and access. In the government division, we are among the top three global manufacturers of high-quality identity documents. We supply more than 30 countries on four continents. The products include data pages for passports, driving licenses, vehicle registration documents and crew member certificates for airlines, as well as identity cards.

In the banking division, we are the undisputed market leader for bank cards in Switzerland, with a market share of around 80%. In addition, we are present in more than 40 countries worldwide with CombOS®, our operating system for bank cards. As you can see, we are not only a manufacturer of cards and identity documents, but also supply software and realise entire solutions.

Does that mean that more IT specialists than printers work at your plant?

In 1990, we had around 100 employees, of whom three were IT specialists. We currently have 330 employees, of whom around half work in production and approximately 60 in the field of development, software and IT.

How do you ensure the security of your plant?

Our customers demand very strict security measures from us. We have to be able to prove at all times which persons were in the building at any particular time. Employees always work in twos at the machines - when one person has to leave the machine, the other also has to interrupt the work process. The whole process is monitored by cameras.

Is Switzerland as a location a competitive advantage for a security company?

We have an advantage in terms of quality, confidentiality, reliability and service. This allows for slightly higher prices as a result, although the difference should not exceed just a small percentage.

Why do you continue to keep the city of Aarau as the location of your headquarters?

We started and grew here, and the location of Switzerland is and remains important for worldwide profile. Aarau is also centrally located, and the recruiting area is large as a result. However, the reservoir of Swiss employees is not infinite.

This becomes apparent when we need to find highly qualified personnel commensurate with the demanding and special requirements in various fields. The Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons enables us to employ people from throughout the EU. The cantonal authorities of Aargau have always granted us the necessary approvals, even in the case of non-European appointments.